Same Same Almost.

Here are two hand that I played against the same player in my most recent 40/80 session.

Hand 1:
I open black nines in the cutoff.  Button 3-bets.  SB folds and BB calls.  I call.  Flop comes ThTd4c and gets checked around.

Turn is the 9d.  Checked to me, I bet, button calls, and BB folds.

River is Ax.  I bet, button raises.  I tank for quite a bit here.  What the hell can the button have here?  What is his 3-bet preflop and flop check range look like?  I imagine it would be good aces mainly, and maybe a small pocket pair?  But really a small pocket pair should be betting the flop along with good aces to protect, especially given that the flop is still 3-way.  I eventually decide that he's overplaying either a slowplayed T, like KT or QT, or AK or AQ and 3-bet.  In retrospect, I'm not sure this is the greatest idea as this player is not a complete idiot, and might not pay off a 3-bet when he's beat and will definitely 4-bet everything that has me beat and will not 4-bet any value hand worse than mine.  In any case, he dutifully 4-bets and I cry call, only to be shown quad tens.  Guess the slow play worked out one time.  I lose a total of 6.5 big bets on that hand, with total pot size being 14.75 big bets minus the drop.  I could have easily have gone on tilt after a cooler hand like this, but I took it in stride.

Hand 2, maybe an hour or so later:
I open KK in the SB, BB 3-bets, and I call.  Flop comes K74 two clubs.  I check/raise and BB calls.  Turn is blank and I bet, BB calls.  River is 4 clubs.  I check/raise and BB calls only to see the bad news.  I win almost 5.5 big bets that hand, taking into account the drop.  BB claims to have had AK, and I see no reason to disbelieve him.

So two hands, both of which were bit of a cooler.  I don't need to turn a 9.  He doesn't need to flop a king.  Just goes to show, sometimes it really is the littlest of things that make a big difference in your results for the night.  Have that draw come in on the biggest pot of the night, you go home a big winner.  Miss nut draw after nut draw all night long, go home a loser.

Get coolered and go on tilt equals going home a loser.  Some things you can control, others you cannot.  Learn to detach your emotions from the results you cannot control.  You can control the cards you play, the position you play them from, and how you react to the other player's actions.  You cannot control the flop, turn, and river cards.  And therefore you should not feel entitled nor get angry if your draw for the twentieth time still doesn't come in.  The cards have no memory, nor think any player is entitled to win.

I think the entitlement mentality in poker is so destructive and enabling of poor play.  Just because you started with a better hand preflop, doesn't mean you are entitled to win the pot.  And just because you haven't played or won a hand in what seems forever, does not entitle you to play a junk hand.  You just think it does.